Satellite photos reveal construction works on Chinese aircraft carrier Type 002

China is surging ahead in its race to build enormous aircraft carriers capable of standing against the biggest and best the United States has to offer. New satellite photos reveal the remarkable effort being sunk into building its next-generation leviathan.

Beijing’s naval ambitions are becoming increasingly evident.

It already has more operational submarines than the United States. And it’s pumping out new frigates, destroyers and cruisers at a much greater rate than anyone else.

China’s new cruisers and destroyers also represent enormous technological leaps, dramatically closing the gap with Western navies.

But Beijing’s long had its heart set on the “A-league” of gunboat diplomacy — joining the small club of nations capable of fielding fully-fledged aircraft carriers. Such ships project international power and influence like nothing else.

The exact form of China’s third aircraft carrier is as yet unknown.

But we can already see it will be different from its existing ex-Soviet Type 001 Liaoning and the as-yet-unnamed Type001a. That much is evident from the rapid construction of a new, expanded dockyard facility capable of launching much larger ships.

Now satellite photographs reveal a new aircraft carrier — Type 002 — is being assembled even as its dock is built around it.